The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-22
PARSONS MAKES A POINT
HE DOES NOT WANT MERCY, BUT
DEMANDS JUSTICE.

If He Had Never Been an Anarchist
Before, His Recent Experience with
Courts and the Law Would Have
Made Him One-s,ooo Sign the
Petition.
CHICAGO, Sept. 2l.-The number Of sig
natures TO the petition for mercy on behalf
of the Anarchists reached about 5000 yes
tertay, counting those that the COMMITTEES
Of the Amnesty Association had received
actual returns of. OF this number about
5000 were in the city and the remainer were
scattered through the State. There has
been no system discovered yet by the COM
mittee to circulate the petition. At present
blanks and circulars are being sent to men
prominent in labor organizations. The
committee has written out another appeal
TO go at the head of the petition blanks.
ITS DRIFT.
1t is more volumnous than the first one,
and caters to the passions of those who, even
in the petition for clemency, cannot forego
expressions Of abuse against the judicial
procedure by which the Anarchists were
convicted. This petition was drawn up as
an experiment, and will be submitted to the
Amnesty Association at its meet
lKS JO-HfRUU. II Oh bne
committee said yesterday: "As far as the
indignation at the verdict is concerned, I
think myself, that the verdict was a burn
ing shame and an outrage. But it is en-
tirely out of place TO put anything of that
sort into petition for clemency aad /, for
one, am setting aside my personal feelings
in the matter entirely"
PARSONS FURNISHES STATEMENT,
A. X Parsons, the condemned Anarchist,
sent for n reporter to-day and gave out for
publication a long document addressed to
'"rhe American People, and made special
request that it he published without altera-
ton. He quotes at length the evidence and
rulings of the Supreme Court;
says that the speeches credited to
him in the trial were garbled extracts by
excited and imaginative newspaper re-
porUers; that his Haymarket speech did not
excite the riot, and that there was no con-
nection between his speeches and the death
of Officer Degan. He says the evidence did
not show him guilty, but proved his inno-
cence, and that he has been convicted as an
Anarchist and not as a murderer.
HIS SURRENDER.
He came and gave himself up for fair
trial, and appeals to the American people
to avert the awful crime of judicial muir
der. Lovers Of Justice are engaged in an
effort to thwart the consummation Of judi
cia murder by communication of sentence
TO prison. For this l thank them,
but | am am innocent man. / am sacrificed
to those who say these men may be inno-
cent but they are Anarchists" | am pre-
pared to lay down my life for my rights and
the rights Of my fellow-men, but object
to being killed on false and unproven
accusations, therefore / cannot countenance
or accept the efforts of those who would en-
deavor TO procure Communication Of my
sentence to imprisonment in the peniten-
tiary.
FURTHER APPEALS DIsAPPRovED.
"Neither do | approve of any fur
ther appeals to the courts of law.
AS between capital and its legal
rights and labor and its rights
the courts must decide with the capitalistic
classes. An appeal to them would be the
appeal OF wage slave to his capitalistic
master for liberty. If had never been an
Anarchist before, my experience with
the court and laws would make an
Anarchist of me now. l appeal
not for mercy buy FOR justice" After
again saying that he will not accept COM
mutation of sentence he closes by quoting
the language of Patrick Henry: "Give me
liberty or give me death"